Archive of Our Own

“Not sure what I expected,” Pomni said, looking up from her handful of cards. Caine sat across from her holding up cards of his own. They were playing speed; a game of, well, speed, in the busy café Caine had taken them to. Pomni was somewhat confident in her reaction time, but the moment she signaled for the game to start Caine had moved faster than her eyes could follow. By the time she blinked, he’d already gotten rid of all but two of his cards. Unable to continue any sequential pattern, Caine sat there grinning, waiting for Pomni to make a move. She laid her cards down on the table.

“Let’s play something else,” she said. 

Caine wilted in his seat. “But we haven’t finished this game!” he cried, staring at her with the biggest, most pitiful looking puppy dog eyes she'd ever seen. Picking up her cards, Pomni placed one down to continue the sequence. Caine immediately placed down his last two cards. A victory jingle played. 

“Good game, Pomni!” Caine said, cheerfully. 

Pomni rolled her eyes, chuckling as she gathered up the cards. Caine began taking up their dishes and utensils to stack into an impossible tower. 

It’s been a few weeks since they settled into this schedule of spending time together after an adventure. Initially, Caine had wanted to see Pomni privately every day, but she convinced him to settle for every other day instead. Caine had given her a little jack-in-the-box she could use to conveniently transport herself to his office at any time. All one had to do was crank the handle till the box popped open. The box would then suck the user in and slide them out into Caine’s office. Pomni disliked his choice of toy till he assured her nothing scary would pop out. She only believed him when he demonstrated this himself. 

They’d venture through old adventures together, speak at length in his office, and sometimes Caine would whisk her off to a new location to enjoy. Pomni much preferred today’s lively café lunch over last week's heartstopping dinner in Paris. Caine thought it was a brilliant idea to eat at the very tip top of the Eiffel Tower. Pomni was too preoccupied with telling herself not to look down to properly thank the rat that cooked their meal. The rat didn’t seem to mind. 

Pomni learned that this café was actually the one that Caine frequented with Bubble. When asked why, Caine simply said, “Bubble likes their drinks.” 

Pomni reorganized the cards back into a neat stack. “Some of the others were also playing cards today,” Pomni said, glancing up at Caine. 

“How fun!” Caine replied.

There was a small pause. Caine notices Pomni start to say something, then change her mind. Caine tapped his fingers together. “Did you want to join them?” he asked.

Pomni shrugged. “Yeah, but–” 

Caine flew across the table, grabbed her hand, and teleported them back to the tent. The utensil tower Caine made wobbled a bit then stilled.

A waiter NPC came to their table holding a receipt. They stared at the abandoned seats and sighed. The tower of utensils and plates crash to the floor.

♡ ♢ ♤ ♧

At the tent, most of the cast were already in the middle of a card game at their usual spot when Caine and Pomni appeared overhead and fell into two empty seats. Pomni blinked at them, noticing that Jax and Kinger were missing from the table. Ragatha, Zooble, and Gangle stared at her as she regained her bearings. 

“Um,” Pomni hesitated, “sorry for dropping in–” 

Caine snorted. Pomni glanced at him just as he burst out laughing. Realizing what she’d just said, Pomni bit back a laugh watching as Caine doubled over, his shoulders shaking from the force of his laughter. Shaking her head, she turns back to the table and spots Gangle trying to hide a smile beneath her ribbons. Pomni followed her line of sight to where Caine was still holding onto her. She quickly retracted her hand.

“Could we join you guys for a game?” Pomni asked as Caine settled down. 

Pomni wasn’t sure if they were open to playing with Caine and mentally prepared for what excuses or downright rejections may come. Instead, she was pleasantly surprised when the most resistance she got from them was a shrug.

“What did you want to play?” Ragatha asked, gathering up the cards. 

“We were playing speed if you wanted–” Gangle began. 

Pomni shook her head. “I don’t think you want to play something like that against Caine.” 

“Oh.” Ragatha hummed. “Then maybe…” She trailed off. They all took a moment to quietly brainstorm a game that worked with the amount of players they had. 

“How’s about a game of poker?” Jax suggested. 

Everyone turned to Jax, stunned at his sudden appearance. That is, everyone except Caine who had watched him slip into an empty seat.

Zooble squinted at him. “When did you–”

“Wonderful idea, Jax!” Caine cried out. Before anyone could raise any objections, Caine snapped everything into place. A poker table, new chairs, a fresh deck of cards, and a dealer NPC appeared. From left to right, the players and dealer were placed at the poker table in the following order; Caine, the dealer, Jax, then Zooble.

“I didn’t agree to this,” Zooble grumbled, crossing their arms. They spotted most of the cast sitting on a sofa nearly halfway across the tent. “And why aren’t they playing?” 

“They don’t know how to play!” Caine explained. 

Zooble looked at their only two opponents as Jax gave them a cheeky little wave. Zooble groaned. They knew they should’ve said no to cards today.
Gangle, Ragatha, and Pomni settled into their seats. Caine had snapped them a rather fancy curved sofa to lounge on along with a matching coffee table in the center curve. The dark new decor was incredibly out of place in the middle of the circus tent. A screen floated above the table, switching to and zooming in on the players randomly. Pomni guessed this was for the benefit of the onlookers who were saved from squinting across the room to make out the cards. Pomni watched as the TV camera zoomed in on Caine. She began pulling at her gloves.
At the newly materialized poker table Jax suddenly frowned. 

“Wait, what’s the point of playing poker if there aren’t any high stakes?” Jax said, crossing his arms, knee bouncing beneath the table.

Zooble sneered, “Nothing is worth anything here. What is there even to bet?”

“I don’t know!” Jax huffed, “But I’m not playing if there’s nothing on the line. How boring.”

Zooble’s antennae twitched. “You were the one who suggested poker.” 

“Now I’m suggesting we actually put something worth playing for on the table!” Jax leaned toward Zooble. “C’mon Zoobie, you can put some of those interchangeable parts in the pot, right?” 

“Not happening.” 

“You’re so lame.” 

Zooble rolled their eyes. Perching their elbow on the top of their chair, they looked at the dealer. The sharply dressed mannequin-like NPC stood with their hands behind their back, ready for instructions. Beside the dealer, Caine sat tapping a finger on the table in thought.

Caine mumbled out loud, “Something everyone could benefit from…something anyone would want.” Caine stops tapping. “Let’s bet on the next adventure!”

“No,” Zooble deadpanned. 

“Yes!” Jax sits up in his seat. “Now we’re talking!” 

Caine snapped. Colorful poker chips appeared on the table with each player having an even amount.
“Marvelous!” Caine clapped his hands together. “The player who gains all the chips at the table gets full reign on the next adventure! How does that sound?” Caine scanned the table to see their reactions.

“Sounds great!” Jax thumped his fist on the table for emphasis. 

“I am not betting a whole adventure on some stupid game,” Zooble growled, pushing themselves up from the table.

“Aw,” Jax cooed as Zooble’s antenna twitched again, “Sounds like you’re folding, ZooZoo! Not that I’m complaining of course. Gives me a better chance to win.” 

Jax hummed, tapping his finger on his chin.“I’m thinkin’ an adventure where everyone worships Jax and must entertain him or get executed. Ah, but executions are so overdone. Maybe I’ll have you all compete in a murder arena that I control. Bet no one's ever done that before.”

The glare Zooble pierced Jax with was lethal. Jax simply smirked at Zooble. Resting his chin in his palm, he waited for their next move. 

With clenched fists, Zooble sat right back down.“Deal me in.”

“That’s the spirit, Zooble!” Caine commended as the NPC took the cards out of the deck. 

Zooble gave the NPC a once over. “Wait,” they said, raising their hand, “switch out the dealer.” 

Caine clutches his pearls aghast, dismayed, scandalized. “Are you insinuating–” 

“I’m not playing poker with a dealer who calls you ‘boss,’” Zooble stated plainly.

Caine began stuttering out how he would ‘never’ and ‘how could you think’ when the NPC themselves spoke up. 

“They’ve got a point, boss,” said the dealer, shrugging. 

Zooble called out towards the sofa, “Pomni, mind dealing us in?” 

Pomni jumped a bit at suddenly hearing her name. “Oh, uh, sure I don't mi–” 

Pomni made to hop off the sofa when she heard a snap. A moment later she found herself in the dealer's place, looking towards where she was just sitting a second before. She glanced down to find herself dressed in a white dress shirt, slacks, black vest, and matching black bow-tie. Pomni reached up to feel around her head. Her jester hat sat unchanged. Of course, she thought. Adding to her vexation, Pomni realized she was standing on top of a box in order to easily pass out the cards without having to stand on the tips of her toes. On second thought, the box was a welcome addition.

Pomni cut the deck and began shuffling the cards. “I’ve never dealt in a poker game though,” she said nervously, feeling everyone’s eyes on her. 

“Don’t sweat it,” Zooble reassured. “It’s pretty simple, I’ll let you know what to do.” 

“You’ll do great, Pomni!” Caine encouraged loudly to Pomni’s right, making her almost fumble the deck. 

“Hey Pomni,” Jax called in a hushed tone. Pomni glanced at Jax. He was leaning forward, forearm pressed on the table. His other hand was shuffling some of his chips, cutting and restacking them in a hypnotic rhythm.“I’ll split the win if you pass me some good cards,” Jax whispered loudly to Pomni who squinted in return. 

“How would that even–”

“Just ignore him,” said Zooble. 

As Zooble instructed, Pomni established the dealer, the small blind, and the big blind by drawing a card for everyone. Pomni wasn’t sure what that meant. Zooble simply explained it provides them the order in which they play. 

“Don’t worry too much about the rest of the details, we got it from here,” Zooble said. This was relieving to Pomni who’d rather not spend the next half hour learning a game she wasn’t even playing. 

Pomni goes around till each player has two in their hand then waits for the first round of betting. She watched as everyone lightly bent their cards up towards themselves to see what they were working with save for Zooble. Zooble did bend their cards up briefly, but Pomni caught them quickly looking at Jax as he checked his cards. Whatever hand Jax had didn’t falter his usual smile. Meanwhile, Caine was fidgeting with his cards. He flipped them, switched them, and tapped them against the table. Pomni could tell he was already getting impatient. She was impressed he didn’t already snap to make something happen. 

Jax tossed a few chips onto the table as Zooble slid double the amount forward. Caine stops his fidgeting to glance at everyone waiting for him to complete his turn. Cain reached over to his chips then paused. He deliberates for a moment, drumming his hand on the table. Jax lets out a yawn as Zooble patiently waits for Caine to move. Caine looks up at Pomni who was looking towards the couch, surprised to find the place suddenly obscured in darkness. She could still make out the silhouettes of the rest of the cast, but not their faces. The one light still shining was the one positioned right above the poker table. Pomni looked around, squinting. In the distance, Pomni saw Bubble floating next to a comically large light switch near a wall. How long has that been there? 

“Pomni?” Zooble’s voice brought her attention back to the table where she noticed that Caine had folded. Pomni takes his cards and slides them into the discarded pile. She held her hands over Caine’s cards, staring at them for a moment as Jax raised the bet and Zooble matched him. 

Pomni discarded a card from the deck then set three at the very center. Zooble and Jax both kept betting till Pomni eventually had five total cards laid out on the center table; the river. As far as Pomni knew, whatever combination a player can make with the cards she just laid out better be the best on the table for them to win. 

Zooble revealed their cards. A rather satisfied looking Jax was already reaching for the chips in the pot. Zooble shakes their head and flips over Jax’s hand to reveal he really did beat Zooble with a three of a kind. 

“Rude!” Jax reprimanded Zooble who tossed both their cards to Pomni. 

“Like you weren’t the bigger [%$@!#]-hole with what you just pulled,” Zooble replied cooley. 

The poker game continued as the next round came and went. Throughout the game Caine made the poker chips dance, spin, and even had them silently play out a soap opera as he waited for his turn to act. He made a miniature set piece and laid out various items like tiny cameras, a directors seat, and a clapperboard. Pomni got a bit distracted again when he silently scolded a poker chip for not getting a scene right. It looked like they were arguing back and forth. Caine held the upper part of his teeth as if a headache was threatening to split his gums. Jax had to snap her out of the scene with an exaggerated “Ahem.” 

“Digital circus to Pomni. Are we playing poker or is it the stare at Caine game?” Jax leaned back in his chair, lacing his hands behind his head with elbows up in the air. “I know which one you’d rather be playing,” Jax remarked, his easygoing grin turning sardonic.

Pomni almost bent the cards in her hands too hard. Before she could shoot him a biting reply, Zooble interjected. 

“Don’t take it out on her just because you lost that round,” Zooble chastised.

Jax shrugged. “It ain’t poker unless you get caught in a bluff at least once.”

While Caine would play his own little games to keep himself occupied, Jax was being downright obnoxious at showing how nonchalant he was. He would rock his chair back and forth, make split second decisions, and even went a round of betting without looking at his cards. A round that he won. Pomni really thought that ridiculous round was going to be the one to break Zooble who still showed no sign of any emotion from the tip of their mis-matched antennae to the bottom of their mis-matched feet. They paid no mind to both Caine’s or Jax’s shenanigans. Even when they got away with a bluff or won with a nice hand they didn’t show any emotions. Zooble had a true professional poker face. 

Meanwhile, back at the onlookers gallery, Gangle and Ragatha were glancing back and forth between the screen broadcasting the ongoing game and the Poker for Dum-dums book sitting in between them. It was a bit difficult to make out the book in the darkness.

“Oh, here it is!” Ragatha taps on a pictured example. “Zooble did win with a higher hand.” 

“I still don’t understand the blinds,” Gangle said. 

“Me neither,” Ragatha sighed, “but the TV showing the odds of them winning helps.” 

The two of them looked back up towards the table as the next round started. 

“Um,” Ragatha paused, rubbing her eye, “is it getting kind of foggy in here?” 

Both of them notice smoke accumulating around the poker table. Ragatha felt a light tap on her shoulder. Glancing up at where Gangle was pointing, Ragatha sees Bubble next to a fog machine near the ceiling. Bubble noticed their gaze and increased the amount of smoke output. 

They looked back to the screen where Caine was now sporting some comically large sunglasses facing off against Zooble. Jax had already called then folded. He watched the two of them face off with mild interest, one hand still shuffling his chips. 

Zooble saw themselves reflected in Caine’s dark lenses. “...Are you trying to force a poker face?"

Caine peeked out from behind his sunglasses. "What makes you say that?" 

Pomni stifled a laugh, then quickly cleared her throat when Jax glanced sideways at her. Zooble squinted at Caine then pushed a stack of chips forward to match Caine’s raised bet. All the cards were revealed. Zooble had beaten Caine with a higher hand.

"Oh no, how did they read me so easily?" Caine cried out, tossing his glasses to the side as he held his head. Pomni gathered the pot chips and pushed them towards Zooble. 

“Oh no! My star chip, Soraya!” Caine lamented, reaching towards his chips as they were added to Zooble's pile.

Quickly getting over his loss, Caine turned his little TV show set into a miniature version of The Tent instead. Compared to Cain, Zooble had an impressive amount of chips. However, Jax was in the lead by a growing margin. He’d started raising the bet even higher after getting away with some very strong starting hands. Pomni began to worry if Jax’s earlier adventure idea was really something he’d go through with.

Back at the sofa, Ragatha and Gangle were thinking the same thing. A sudden loud slurping sound made both girls turn to their left, finding Kinger using an overly intricate silly straw to finish off his drink. 

“Hey, Kinger,” Ragatha greeted. “Where’d you get the drink?” 

“At the bar, of course,” Kinger said, pointing behind them. 

They all turned to look at Bubble manning a dimly lit bar. He was licking a glass clean. A neon pink sign reading “Bubble’s Bar” glowed right above him. The dealer NPC from earlier was there, tapping the counter for a refill. 

“What can I get’cha, toots?” Bubble addressed the girls.

Gangle and Ragatha both politely shook their heads. 

“You got it!” Bubble answered, already preparing a drink. The girls turned back around, hoping Bubble simply kept himself occupied. 

“How exciting,” Kinger said, eyes fixated on the screen, “Jax is really starting to amp up the ante.”

“You’ve played, Kinger?” Ragatha asked, looking down to find she was suddenly holding an amber colored martini with a pineapple slice. 

“Oh, never at a real poker table. I just played a few games here and there online when I was younger,” Kinger explained. 

“So, is Jax really close to winning?” Gangle asked, now nursing her own mysteriously materialized glass of blue alcohol with both hands. 

“At the rate the bet is getting raised? If Jax manages to win the next few rounds, he would be at an incredible chip advantage. I imagine he'd quickly go for the kill from there,” Kinger surmised, the crook of his index finger coming up to touch where his mouth would be. Ragatha gulps down her drink as Gangle’s hand tightens around her glass. 

“Though, I doubt Zooble is going to let that happen,” Kinger added. Just as he says this the camera cuts to Zooble pushing forward all their chips. 

“All in,” Zooble called. 

Jax paused from shuffling his chips, scoffing at the large pile Zooble just slid towards the center of the table. His grin stretched across his face. “Seriously?” 

Caine follows them, pushing his humble pile of chips into the pot. 

“Yes! How thrilling! Nothing more heart palpitating than putting everything you have on the line!” Caine applauded. 

It was Jax’s turn to act. Pomni sees Jax look at the three cards on the table then bend up his own cards to check them again. Zooble sits back in their chair. “You folding, Cottontail?” 

Jax narrowed his eyes oh so slightly as his ear twitched from the sudden nickname. 

“Nope,” Jax replied, pushing most of his chips in to match the bet, “not this time, Zoo-pal.” 

Pomni swallowed, the mountain of chips before her posed a menacing backdrop. It all came down to the next two cards Pomni revealed. All three players were the most still they’ve been. Even Caine sat at attention, hands clasped on the table. Instead of watching the cards, however, he kept his eyes on Jax and Zooble. 

Pomni revealed the fourth card. No one moved. You could hear the sound of the cards sliding against each other and onto the soft poker table. On the fifth and last card to be revealed Pomni slowly slid it into place face down. With a careful hand, she flips it over. For a moment, the whole circus seemed to freeze in place. At the center of the poker table, the full river was revealed; 5 of hearts, 7 of spades, 8 of clubs, jack of spades, 5 of spades.

Jax moved first, jumping out of his chair which tilted to the ground. His hands braced against the table as he leaned in, scanning the very last card. 

“No way,” he gasped, a breathless chuckle escaping him. “No [%$@!#] way!” Jax doubled over laughing, long ears grazing the poker table. His unrestrained laughter echoed through the circus tent. Standing back up, he grabbed his pair of cards and tossed them onto the table; an 8 and 10 of spades. 

Pomni felt her heart sink. She looks at Zooble who was staring at the very last card on the river. Zooble closed their eyes and breathed in slowly. Breathing out, Zooble flipped over their cards; a 9 and 6 of clubs. 

“What just happened?” Gangle asked, watching as Jax laughed harder at seeing Zooble’s hand. 

“A backdoor flush,” answered Kinger. 

“A what?” Ragatha quickly flipped through the book in her lap. 

“Zooble had a wonderful hand; a straight. They had every right to believe they’d win that round. But that very last card was exactly what Jax needed to have a higher hand; a flush,” Kinger explained. 

“That one card? That…that’s so unlucky!” Ragatha exclaimed, shaking her head. 

“Well, it was very, very lucky for Jax at least,” Kinger replied then chuckled softly. “He does have two rabbit feet.” 

They watched as Jax leaned forward, gathering the chips in his arms. “I love gambling!” Jax triumphantly cried. 

“Wait.” Pomni placed a hand down to block Jax. “Caine hasn’t shown his cards yet.” 

Jax raised a brow, looking over at Caine as if remembering he was even at the table. Caine still had his hands clasped in front of him, his expression blank.

“I’m terribly sorry,” Caine said remorsefully, sliding his cards forward still faced down, “You were having so much fun I didn’t want to ruin it!” 

Jax’s smile disappeared as his eyes widened. “Ruin–” 

Caine flipped his cards over. Two jacks; a heart and a diamond. Zooble leaned forward, taking a good long look at Caine’s cards. They scoffed, turning to Jax who was staring in disbelief. 

“I believe that’s a full house,” Caine declared. With a snap, the chips disappeared from Jax’s arms and reappeared by Caine’s side. 

Jax blinked at his empty hands. Gathering himself, he closed his eyes. With one foot he corrected his chair to stand upright again, then plopped down on it heavily. Jax opened his eyes, giving Caine a half-hooded glare and a rueful smirk. 

“This is why I hate gambling.”

Pomni couldn’t hide the smile that snagged at her lips. She was doing an awful job at being an unbiased dealer. 

“Good luck, Bunnyboy,” Zooble taunted, pushing themselves from the table. They walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Gangle. The three onlookers gave Zooble their condolences at being the first one out. Zooble graciously accepted their kind words then looked down at their hand now holding a fancy looking cocktail. Zooble looked over at the bar behind them where Bubble was licking the countertop clean. Turning back forward, Zooble noticed a little flag sticking out of the cocktail reading #1 Loser.  Zooble’s eyes narrowed at the little flag, then with a shrug they took a sip. 

“Caine hasn’t exactly won yet, right?” Gangle asked, ribbon hands tapping nervously together. 

“Right,” Zooble confirmed, placing their glass on the table, “Jax can always come back.” 

“In poker anyone could come back even with just one chip left,” Kinger shared. 

“Then…do you think he’ll come back?” Ragatha asked, concern etched into her features. 

“Honestly, I wouldn’t put it past him,” Zooble admitted. Their gaze slid to Caine, now with an unprecedented mountain of chips at his side. “But not against that monster.” 

Caine placed his elbow on the table, tucking his hand under his jaw. His other hand skillfully rolled a chip up and down his knuckles. Feeling Pomni’s gaze on him, Caine glanced up at her. She quickly looked away, her face warming up. She blamed it on the spotlight above them. 

Caine has been relentless since he and Jax became the last to face off against each other. After one glance at his cards Caine would either quickly raise the bet high or fold. Jax did catch Caine in a bluff once, but it was a round where Caine barely added to the pot. It didn’t put a dent in the hoard Caine accumulated thanks to Zooble. What little Jax earned was nothing compared to how much Caine took.

While Jax still had a smile plastered to his face, his pupils were shrunken and his leg couldn’t stop bouncing under the table. One hand hovered over his cards while the other continued to fidget with his chips. 

In this round, they were both waiting on Jax to make a move. Caine had raised the bet high after the first three cards were shown. Jax could either fold or put what’s left of his remaining chips into the pot to match the bet. Whatever cards Jax had were good enough to make him hesitate on passing up this round. 

Jax took one more look at his cards then hung his head and chuckled. “This is what I get for playing poker against an AI.” 

Jax pushes the last of his chips onto the table. Pomni took a breath, then turned over the last two cards. Caine revealed his cards without any dramatic flourish; an ace of spades and a queen of hearts. Jax takes one look at Caine’s cards and smiles wider. Grabbing his own cards, Jax flicks them onto the table; an ace of diamonds and a king of spades. 

Pomni looks down at the five cards she revealed; four cards of spades and a single clover stared back at her. Caine had won with a higher flush. A victory jingle played. 

“Great game, Jax!” Caine cheered, his usual carefree and goofy demeanor returning. The remaining chips rolled over to join Caine’s pile on their own. “I would’ve had a hard time not playing those cards too!” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Jax rolled his eyes, but his smile stayed in place. “I saw this coming, but’cha can’t blame a guy for trying.” 

Caine took a small stack of chips and slid them halfway towards Pomni. The chips unstacked, rolled, then restacked themselves in front of her. Pomni regarded them quizzically. 

“Your tip, my lovely dealer!” Caine said with a wink. 

“Oh.” Pomni accepted the stack of chips. Looking down at her outfit, she was delightfully reminded that she now had pockets to put them in. 

Jax puts his feet up on the table and crosses them. “You can tell me honestly, Caine, I promise I won’t be mad. You didn’t cheat, right?” 

“I don’t need to cheat to win a game like this!” Caine insisted, shaking his head.

“Don’t be such a sore loser,” said Zooble, sitting back down at their seat. They held out a foamy yellow drink with a cherry on top towards Jax. A little flag reading #2 Loser was sticking out of the rim. Jax glanced at the drink, then noticed Zooble held another glass with a similar flag sticking out. Sitting back up, Jax accepts the drink and sips it without a word or a snark.

“If Caine was cheating I would’ve called him out way before I made my last bet,” Zooble said, swirling the drink in their hand.

“Oh yeah,” Jax snickered, “You should’ve seen the look on your face when that last card was revealed! Wish I snapped a picture.” 

“You should’ve seen the look on your own face when Caine showed his cards,” Zooble shot back. 

“Sorry to cut in guys, mind if we joined?” Ragatha sat down at the poker table along with Kinger and Gangle. Ragatha offered Caine and Pomni a drink. Pomni politely declined while Caine accepted both, downing them in one big gulp. The glasses were tossed over his shoulder, smashing in the background. 

“Poker’s more nerve wracking than I thought. It’s incredible how much of it comes down to chance!” said Ragatha. 

“You all bluff so easily,” Gangle added.

Jax scoffed, “Zoo-pal here was trying way too hard to keep it cool. It was so obvious–” 

“Right,” interjected Zooble, “because you weren’t just rubbing it in our faces how much you didn’t care.”

“No idea what you mean, I’m just like that all the time.” 

Everyone began speaking more about the game as Caine swiped all the poker chips into his hat. Jax laid it on thick just how fun his adventure would've been if he were given the reins. As Gangle began asking Zooble what they would’ve done had they won, Kinger explained poker to Ragatha with Jax providing additional, arguably unhelpful, commentary. Pomni listened in for a moment, rolling her eyes as Jax remarked how Ragatha had a poker face as subtle as a digital billboard. She then excused herself from the table stating that she’d be turning in for the day. Everyone bid her goodnight as she hopped off the box.

“Thanks for dealing for us,” said Zooble.

“Should’ve taken my deal, Pom-pom!” Jax hollered out as Pomni shook her head with a smile. She started towards their living quarters. 

Caine called out from the table, “Pomni! Let me walk you there!” 

Pomni jumped a bit as he suddenly appeared by her side, floating. “Oh, sure,” she said.

“Ooh,” several voices from the poker table playfully jeered at them. Pomni quickened her pace towards the hall as Caine followed her, leaving the poker table behind them. 

♡ ♢ ♤ ♧

“So!” Caine immediately started speaking the moment they were out of earshot, “How was my first time playing along as a fellow cast member?” 

“You were great,” Pomni praised, “I think everyone had a good time. Even Jax and Zooble seemed to have fun even though they lost in the end.” She placed a hand on the back of her neck. “Did you have a good time?” she asked.

“Why, I had a wonderful time!” Caine grinned. “I won big, after all!” 

Pomni laughed. Clasping her hands behind her back, she smiled up at Caine as she walked. “You had no doubt you would win from the beginning, didn’t you? That’s why you let them bet on full control of your adventure so easily.” 

“Gasp!” Caine verbally gasped, holding a hand to his chest. 

“I saw your cards. You wanted to bet all in from the get go too,” Pomni added. 

“Gasp!” Caine verbally gasped a bit louder, both hands now clutching at his heart. “You read me so easily, my dear! You should’ve joined us and made it a fair game!” Caine remarked playfully. 

Pomni unclasped her hands. “I doubt it would’ve made much of a difference.”

Caine tilted his head to the side. “It wouldn’t have, my darling guppy,” he admitted. 

Pomni chuckled. “Thought so–” 

“However.” Cain spoke in a lowered voice as he peered down at Pomni, meeting her gaze. “You always find a way to surprise me…” 

Pomni tripped over her own feet. She staggered, managing to regain her balance before she fell head first onto the floor. 

“Woah there, careful! These carpets can be so slippery!” Caine chirped out, hands hovering over Pomni, ready to catch her should she really take a tumble. Straightening up, Pomni walked a bit faster, hoping to quickly cool down the heat spreading across her face. She kept her eyes to the ground as her words shoved each other on their way out of her mouth.

“I’m–I’m glad you had a great time! I’ve never fully watched a poker match before. Everyone had such a different playstyle, I mean who just blindly bets like that? I don’t know how Zooble managed to keep their cool–” Pomni continued rambling along as Caine watched her expressions jump between her emotions. Pomni felt she was running out of breath. 

“And wow, holding back to let them have that fun? That–” Pomni paused, her mind backtracking on that thought just as they arrived at her room. Her brows bunched together. She looked up at Caine still floating just above her. 

“How did you know you’d win that round where everyone went all in? All the cards weren’t even shown yet.” 

Caine grinned. “I didn’t!”
Pomni squinted at him. “...What?” 

“Even a highly advanced AI such as I can’t predict a winning hand with only the first three cards! Not with a 100% success rate at least. That’s the beauty and thrill of poker!”

Pomni tilted her head. “Of course, I trust you didn’t cheat.” 

“No siree! Ringmaster’s honor.” Caine placed one hand over his heart while his other hand went up in a salute. 

Pomni crossed her arms, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor. Something about the way Pomni frowned up at him just tickled Caine. He chuckled. Lowering himself to the ground, he reached out to give Pomni a pat on the head. Her frown deepened, but she didn’t move away from him.

“Caine, don't tell me you risked everything in that one round just because you thought it'd be fun.”

Caine smiled wider. “My dearest Pomni, I might as well be a comic strip to you! A haiku! A grocery list! An author’s note–”

As Caine listed off all the things Pomni could so easily read, his hands slid over her jester hat. He began playing with the floppy ends of it, jingling the bells to the beat of his list. Pomni’s frown slowly turned back into a smile as Caine went on and on. It’s been getting more difficult for her to stay mad at Caine after he does something absurd. Especially now when he was singing her praises and jingling the bells of her cap. 

“A coupon! An allergy warning label! The back of a shampoo bottle–”

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Pomni laughed. Caine started wiggling her jester cap rapidly, as if he was trying to have her take to the sky. Pomni grabbed onto his wrists, firmly stopping him from making that idea a reality. 

“Stop that,” she ordered. Obediently, Caine did as he was told. For a moment, Caine kept his hands where they were. Then, slowly, he pulled his right hand back, fingers brushing over her cheek. Pomni went still. 

His thumb caught onto a strand of her hair. He watched the way it fell back into place as his fingers trailed down to her lower jaw. Caressing her cheek, his thumb softly traced her blush as he watched the color deepen. He half expected his hand to be batted away. Instead, he felt something in him falter when she leaned into his palm. How odd, Caine thought. 

His other hand moved towards the lower back of her head. Caine felt her shiver as his fingers brushed against the nape of her neck. He paused, studying the way her body reacted to his touch. Her hands clung to his sleeves, pulling at him as her breathing grew heavy. When Caine trailed his hand further down he noticed her swallow thickly. His fingers reached just beneath her shirt collar at the crook of her neck. He stopped again, watching as she made an expression he didn’t recognize. Her big colorful eyes stared up at him half-lidded. Caine could feel her drumming pulse beneath his fingers. She felt warm, so very warm. How odd, Caine thought again. 

Caine tilted Pomni’s head up towards him. Her grip on his sleeves tightened. Pomni’s breath hitched as Caine leaned forward–

They hear someone let out a gasp.

Pomni jumped. Her head snapped to the right to see Gangle blushing heavily, both hands covering her mouth. Zooble stood next to her, arms crossed as they looked back and forth between Pomni and Caine, their expression unreadable. Caine still kept his eyes on Pomni, head tilted just slightly as he watched her back away from him. 

“Uh,” Pomni stuttered out, quickly letting go of Caine’s arms to blindly fumble for the door knob behind her, “we–we were just saying bye–yep–kay bye!” 

Pomni twists the knob, quickly sliding into her room and shutting the door closed with her back. Inside, still leaning on the door, she hears Caine tell them to get plenty of rest for the adventure he’s got planned for tomorrow. Pomni hears the familiar whoosh of Caine warping away. The hall was quiet for a moment. 

Pomni hears Gangle start to speak. “I–” 

Zooble cleared their throat. There was another moment of silence before Pomni hears both of their footsteps continue down the hall. She waits for them to disappear before sinking to the ground. Her hands traced over where Caine held her just moments before. Even under her gloves she could still feel her skin burning hot.